Just a Kiss

"MEOOOWWW!!!"

Sir Arthur had been cautiously tucked inside the wall's crevice when the feline suddenly felt the whole place had turned hellish. He knew if he continued to stay where he was, he'd eventually die an excruciating death.

He escaped his little hiding hole and scurried towards the direction Red and Archer ran moments ago. He hissed as his whiskers almost caught fire when a succession of flames erupted from the wooden floor.

Thankfully, his cat reflexes kicked in fast enough and he jumped to the side, out of harm's way.

Frantic almost half-dead vativaths had crawled in their attempt to escape their burning tree, however, their efforts were ultimately in vain. As the tree burned, their bodies began to spasm as their life force tied to the tree slowly weakened.

The fat cat who used to laze around Dorothy's apartment felt adrenaline rush through his entire system, making him sprint for his life in search of help.

Arriving at a dead end, his sensitive nose had caught the familiar scent of jasmine shampoo Red had always used on her long strawberry curls. Swerving to his left, the black cat cried his lungs out to get her attention as if saying,

'Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to burn a tree you are obviously still inside of?'

"MEOW! MEOWWWW!!!" he screeched and jump at Red as smoke made his eyes teary and his sensitive nose hurt from all the burning smell. His claws dug into her skin and Red yelped in pain.

Archer hurriedly carried Ari on his back and turned towards where Red was standing. He strained and heaved as the heat, smoke, Ari's weight, and the terrible throbbing pain of his wound hindered him from thinking clearly.

Morgianna was trapped in Red's magic and she wailed and shrieked at them, cursing the three and saying things he didn't understand.

The darkling is locked eternally in his own mind by Queen Tiana, guarded by the wise Cerberus.

There is no way.

The ceiling slowly collapsed and the whole structure of the tree began to come down on them, menacingly trying to kill them as well.

Red tucked Sir Arthur safely in her jacket and ran towards Archer and Ari, dodging the falling debris of the ceiling that was gradually tearing apart. She grabbed hold of Archer's hand, Red saw the exhaustion that burdened him.

"On the count of three!" she shouted at him, trusting Archer knew and understood what she meant.

"One, two, three!"

"Partio!"

"Partio!"

Blue light surrounded them and, in a flash, they were all back at the coast. Their landing was unsteady and they stumbled down and collapsed at the sandy white beaches. The sound of heavy breathing echoed in the calmness of the waves that crashed on the shore.

Looking up, Red saw the clear skies had been painted with thousands of beautiful stars that twinkled in the heavens above, seemingly oblivious to the hardships of the earth below them.

Funny how her life had turned out ever since she had awakened.

In her opinion, it seemed like she was actually living in an endless dream that at times becomes a nightmare without any premise or heads-up at all.

She twisted her body and saw the brothers dogpiled in the sands. Archer had fallen flat on his face while Ari lay unconscious on his back. She was relieved that despite what they have been through, they were all safe now and breathing fine.

Sir Arthur who was tucked safely in her jacket, poked his head and started licking her face. The sand-papery texture of his tongue tickled her cheeks and nose so much that she had to stop the cat from his sweet gestures.

Red stroked the black cat's head, and Sir Arthur closed his eyes clearly enjoying her petting with the way he purred. He was happy that finally they were out of danger. He didn't enjoy the prospect of becoming toasted cat.

When Red stopped, he opened his eyes and licked her hand as if to say thank you, and crept out of her jacket to inspect the brothers on the other side.

The curious cat poked first at the younger faey with his paw and licked Archer's left ear. He stirred and when the cat was satisfied with his reaction, it proceeded to lick Ari's face in an attempt to wake him up.

"Sir Arthur, you can leave them be to rest. We all had a long and tedious day." She called out to the cat, to which the feline promptly listened and did so as she asked.

He proceeded to sniff and dig on the beach, curious cat that he was.

Red carefully propped herself to a sitting position and reached out towards the brothers, brushing their hair away from their faces to see handsome serene expressions under the moonlight.

They were both exhausted and breathed in a steady inhale and exhale, their chests synchronizing the up and down huffs.

She didn't know what compelled her to do it, but she felt the urge to kiss both of them and so she did. Red pecked their cheeks and the smell of smoke, sweat, and manly scent entered her senses.

Ari was now safe, and Archer and Red had formed a bond that was unexpectedly so natural. The way they both knew what the other was trying to say in the face of danger and how their trust strengthened because of a common denominator – saving Ari.

Red cupped Archer's face and the corners of his mouth curved into a handsome smile. Not the kind of smug smile he makes at Red when he was teasing her, but a smile that was genuinely happy.

She jerked her hand away when she saw that Archer hadn't been exactly out, feeling embarrassed at her actions. What would she say about the kiss?

It was just a kiss, nothing more nothing less.

Right?

She was genuinely relieved that they were all alive and well, save for a few injuries here and there. She had also been thankful for the both of them because without the brothers, she knew she wouldn't have been able to figure out and manage what she did a while ago.

Ari and his kind encouragements.

Archer and his playful, teasing challenges.

Both of them helped her overcome her lack of self-confidence and pushed her to do more than what was necessary.

She was thankful that she had Ari as her warrior, and as for Archer, well…